Racquet pick up scoop for balls

ABSTRACT

A ball pick-up scoop attached or molded on the head end of a racquet. When mounted, formed, or attached the scoop protrudes roughly 80 to 90 Degrees away from the face side of the racquet. While standing up straight and holding the handle of the racquet the user slides/pivots the scoop under a ball (tennis, squash, racketball, rubber, synthetic, etc..) which cradles the ball between the scoops ball guides and the racquets face to facilitate in picking up of a ball without ever bending over. Once the ball is cradled the user can pivot the racquet up to their opposite hand and grab the ball or flip the ball up and hit the ball or let it bounce and then hit the ball.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS, IF ANY

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/919,381, filed Mar. 8, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

37 C.F.R. § 1.71(e) AUTHORIZATION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the US Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX, IF ANY

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present invention relates, generally, to recreational, exercise, and sporting goods. More particularly, the invention relates to a ball scoop for a racquet. Most particularly, the invention relates to a system, apparatus and method for a ball scoop which is attachable to or constructed as part of a tennis racquet to aid in picking up a tennis ball during a tennis game, or the like. The invention is also suitable for picking up balls which are thrown to dogs, and the like.

2. Background Information

Existing technology, is believed to have significant limitations and shortcomings, including but not limited to:

For this and other reasons, a need exists for the present invention.

All US patents and patent applications, and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention provides a ball scoop apparatus and method which is practical, reliable, safe and efficient, and which is believed to fulfill a need and to constitute an improvement over the background technology.

In one aspect, the invention provides a ball scoop adapted to be coupled with a racquet, comprising

-   -   a body having first and second faces;     -   the body having a racquet engagement member and a scoop member         extending from the racquet engagement member;     -   a pair of angled ball engagement ridges being disposed on the         scoop member on the first face; and     -   at least one wear ridges being disposed on the racquet         engagement member on the second face.

The aspects, features, advantages, benefits and objects of the invention will become clear to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description, claims and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The present invention, and the manner and process of making and using it, will be better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is first or front view of an embodiment of the ball scoop of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second or back side of the ball scoop.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the ball scoop.

FIG. 4 is a first side view of the ball scoop.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating an embodiment of a method of attaching the ball scoop to a racquet or other frame.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the ball scoop of the invention.

FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the ball scoop

FIG. 8 is a first end view of the ball scoop.

FIG. 9 is a second end view of the ball scoop.

FIG. 10 is the view of a Squash Ball Racquet and Squash ball with “The Scoop” attachment.

FIG. 11 is the view of a Racketball Racquet and Racket ball with the ‘Scoop” attachment.

FIG. 12 is the view of a Pickleball Racquet and Pickleball ball with “The Scoop” attachment.

FIG. 13 is the view of a Badminton Racquet and Birdie with “The Scoop” attachment.

FIG. 14 show trimming of the Scoop.

FIG. 15 shows a zip tie type connection of the scoop to a tennis racquet, from a front or top perspective of the scoop.

FIG. 16 shows the zip tie connection of FIG. 15 , from an end perspective of the scoop.

FIG. 17 shows the zip tie connection of FIGS. 15 and 16 , from a bottom perspective of the scoop.

FIG. 18 shows a zip tie connection of a scoop to a pickle ball racquet from a front or top perspective of the scoop.

FIG. 19 shows the zip tie connection of FIG. 18 from an end perspective of the scoop.

FIG. 20 shows the zip tie connection of FIGS. 18 and 19 from a bottom perspective of the scoop.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-9 disclose an embodiment of the ball scoop of the present invention. The ball scoop includes the following elements, shown in the drawings:

-   -   1) Outside Branding Area     -   2) Inside Branding Area     -   3) Wear Ridge     -   4) Ball Guide     -   5) Mounting Holes     -   6) Alignment ridge/Over Rotation Stop     -   7) Air Relief Ports     -   8) Cut Lines     -   9) Zip Tie     -   10) Racquet Head

FIGS. 10-13 disclose the ball scoop of the invention deployed on various racquets.

The tennis racquet ball pick-up scoop (“The Scoop) works best when attached or molded on the head end of a tennis racket but it can also be attached anywhere around the circumference of the athletic Racket. The scoop can either be formed into the metal part of the racket or as a standalone part that attaches to the head of the racket with wire, string, zip ties, etc. It can also be formed onto the bumper of the racket and would be fastened to the racket while stringing the racket. When mounted, formed, or attached the scoop is designed to protrude roughly 80 to 90 Degrees away from the face side of the racket. While standing up straight and holding the handle of the racket the user slides/pivots the scoop under a ball (tennis, rubber, synthetic, etc..) which cradles the ball between the scoops ball guides and the rackets face to facilitate in picking up of a ball without ever bending over. Once the ball is cradled the user can pivot the racket up to their opposite hand and grab the ball or flip the ball up and hit the ball or let it bounce and then hit the ball. This will also eliminate trick moves with your feet and the racket or the bounce method to pick up a ball. The scoop can be made of both rigid and/or flexible material. Rubber material has worked best because it absorbs the shock that is created from when the ball is hit with the racket. This same principle can be used in picking up balls for tennis, balls for pickle ball, and birdies on badminton racket. The scoop is useful for picking up a ball on the court as well as picking up a ball while playing with your pet.

1. Overview

A concept of the invention is a flexible (rubber or other material) piece that is attached to the head of an athletic racket or formed into the head of an athletic racket or formed into the racket bumper that facilitates an easy way to pick up a ball without bending over or physically picking up the ball.

The ball scoop could be used as a stand-alone attachment that the user attaches to their racket or as a feature that is molded into an existing, new or refurbished racket or bumper.

Users of the ball scoop include dog owners, recreational athletic players, and people having trouble with physical movement and/or professional athletes. One would use The Scoop to aid is retrieving and picking up a ball, which could be a tennis ball, racket ball, pickle ball, Rubber Ball, Plastic Ball, badminton birdie, etc.)

2. Details

A rubber, plastic, or metal material that The Scoop is made out of can be molded into a racket. Studies have found that rubber absorbs the shock of when the ball comes into contact with the racket.

Wear tabs protect the means that The Scoop is attached to a racket (if not molded into a racket). i.e.—if zip ties or wire are used to attach a standalone Scoop, the wear tabs will make contact with the ground and wear down slowly instead of wearing down the attachment mechanism (i.e.—zip tie, wire, racket string, string, rope, etc.). The wear tabs protrude above the fastening devise to protect them from wear (they are like tire treads).

Alignment ridge aids with correctly mounting and/or stabilizing The Scoop (if used as a standalone attachment vs. molded into a racket).

Referring to FIG. 14 , cut lines allow the user to trim The Scoop (if used as a standalone attachment vs. molded into a racket) to the specific width of an athletic racket.

The Scoop (if used as a standalone attachment or molded into a racket) could be oriented anywhere around the circumference of the athletic racket. There are two raised ball guides that assist with picking up, cradling and holding the ball in The Scoop. Ball guides are believed to improve the usability of The Scoop.

When The Scoop is installed (whether as a standalone attachment or molded into a racket) there is a ˜5 degree pivot/bend that increases the performance of the product vs. a product that doesn't have this pivot/bend. The pivot or bend is slightly towards the face of the racket.

Referring to FIGS. 15-20 , a recommended attachment method for the stand alone Scoop attachment is zip ties. However, The Scoop is designed to accommodate various means of attachment (i.e. wire, string, etc.). The molded in racket version of The Scoop would not need to be attached as it is molded into the racket itself or into its bumper.

Air Relief Ports allow the air that is being trapped and pushed in the scoops bowl to escape when trying to hit the ball with the scoop faced side of the racket.

The color of The Scoop (whether a standalone attachment or molded into a racket) can be customized to whatever the user orders for their product.

The upper and/or lower surfaces of The Scoop can be customized with various logos, organization and/or business brands, Schools, Names, etc. This includes printing directly on The Scoop, recreating, adding or subtracting material to/from The Scoop with a raised or etched emblem/logo/brand on the surface of The Scoop or any other means of creating a personalized Scoop product.

Although the ball scoop is described in terms of vertical, horizontal, transverse (lateral), longitudinal, and the like, it should be understood that variations from the absolute vertical, horizontal, transverse, and longitudinal are also within the scope of the present invention.

Although the ball scoop has been described in connection with the field of tennis, it can readily be appreciated that it is not limited solely to such field, and can be used in other fields including, but not limited to dog walking. For example, the apparatus/method can be used to pick up a ball returned by a dog during a game of fetch.

The embodiments above are chosen, described and illustrated so that persons skilled in the art will be able to understand the invention and the manner and process of making and using it. The descriptions and the accompanying drawings should be interpreted in the illustrative and not the exhaustive or limited sense. The invention is not intended to be limited to the exact forms disclosed. While the application attempts to disclose all of the embodiments of the invention that are reasonably foreseeable, there may be unforeseeable insubstantial modifications that remain as equivalents. It should be understood by persons skilled in the art that there may be other embodiments than those disclosed which fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Where a claim, if any, is expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function it is intended that such claim be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof, including both structural equivalents and equivalent structures, material-based equivalents and equivalent materials, and act-based equivalents and equivalent acts.

The following attorney's file identification forms no part of the disclosure or claims of this application: SubstituteSpecification-MARKED.docx 

What is claimed is:
 1. A ball scoop adapted to be coupled with a racquet, comprising a body having first and second faces; the body having a racquet engagement member and a scoop member extending from the racquet engagement member; a pair of angled ball engagement ridges being disposed on the scoop member on the first face; and at least one wear ridges being disposed on the racquet engagement member on the second face.
 2. The ball scoop of claim 1, wherein the ball scoop is coupled to a racquet via at least one zip ties.
 3. The ball scoop of claim 1, wherein the racquet is a tennis racquet and wherein the ball scoop is adapted to pick-up a tennis ball.
 4. The ball scoop of claim 1, wherein the racquet is a squash racquet and wherein the ball scoop is adapted to pick-up a squash ball.
 5. The ball scoop of claim 1, wherein the racquet is a racketball racquet and wherein the ball scoop is adapted to pick-up a racketball ball.
 6. The ball scoop of claim 1, wherein the racquet is a pickleball racquet and wherein the ball scoop is adapted to pick-up a pickleball ball.
 7. The ball scoop of claim 1, wherein the racquet is a badminton racquet and wherein the ball scoop is adapted to pick-up a badminton birdie. 